Titus Oseo Build Up

I posted last week that I had ordered a Titus Oseo carbon fiber bike from Colorado Cyclist last week, well it finally arrived yesterday (in pieces...I wanted to build it myself) and wanted to post a picture of the finished product. The build went smoothly, as I took my time. I still have some fine tuning to do, like seatpost height and seat angle, and some minor tweaks to the derailleurs, but I think it turned out nice...what do you think? I will post a review of it once I get some miles on it and get all the settings dialed in.

As in cool...or lots of money? Anyway...thanks for the replies guys. Actually, I think I got a good deal...the whole kit and kaboodle delivered for $3636! Not bad huh for all Dura Ace, Reynolds carbon wheels and FSA K-Force Parts (cranks are the new SLK Light hollow carbon). Getting ready to go out for the maiden boyage and see what it actually rides like (my guess is stiff.) I'll let you know when I get back!

"Pain is a big fat creature riding on your back. The farther you pedal, the heavier he feels. The harder you push, the tighter he squeezes your chest. The steeper the climb, the deeper he digs his jagged, sharp claws into your muscles." - Scott Martin

Thanks Dirt Boy. The saddle is a Douglas Race Evolution. It's Colorado Cyclist's house brand, but on the bottom it says VELO, so I assume that is who makes it for them. It's not the lightest, but seems to be fairly comfortable.

Not sure. I would assume in taiwan, since most carbon frames are made there, but there was no "made in" sticker anywhere on it. Titus is based out of Tempe, AZ and they make their titanium and aluminum frames in house there.

The Verdict is....

Still too early to tell for sure, but after riding it once, here is what I can say....

It is definitely stiffer than any bike I have ever owned torsionally. Pedal effort equals forward momentum. Very little bottom bracket flex and very little front derailleur rub in big ring mashing while standing. The ride is very nice though. I do think the shaped seat stays do have a bit to do with that. The wheels are stiff as well, but do seem to soak up the chip and seal buzz that aluminum wheels transmitted to the bars. The K Force bars are the new generation short reach, shallow drop variety and I really like the way they feel in my hands. I have short arms, so the short reach is nice. The Dura Ace shifters seem to lack the positive click that the others I have owned had. Maybe because they are brand new and packed with grease, but they don't seem to have the nice audible and physical click; may be because of the grease and cold weather combined. They shift great however. I have never owned a full carbon clincher and was leary about the braking, but to my surprise, they braking was awsome. Reynolds supplies carbon specific pads with the wheels, as well as nice rim strips, tire levers, skewers and a nice spoke wrench for truing. I dont own a bike scale, so I did the double weigh with me on the scale and then me on the scale with the bike, and it came in right at 16 pounds with pedals and cages...about where I thought it would. The new FSA SLK Light hollow carbon cranks are very stiff as well...at least on par with Dura Ace, and the install was very easy too. I bought a torque wrench with this bike due to the high amount of carbon components, and FSA packages some of the TACX dynamic assembly compound with the seatpost, and I must tell you that your post will NOT slip if you use the compound and torque it to spec...very NICE. I am going to have to invest in some clear frame tape to put where the STI cables rub on the head tube or its going to rub through the paint in a hurry.

I plan to put a fair number of miles on it this weekend since the weather is supposed to be nice and will report back with a more detailed analysys of the bike after those miles.

So far I am pleased with my choice, but still need more time to see if it will be my favorite bike ever.

Really nice bike,

I like the color scheme a lot. That is without a doubt made in Asia. It actually looks like the PF Rs2. Still not a bad price with that component set up. Congrats.

Originally Posted by bartmanthebiker

Not sure. I would assume in taiwan, since most carbon frames are made there, but there was no "made in" sticker anywhere on it. Titus is based out of Tempe, AZ and they make their titanium and aluminum frames in house there.

Nice Bike!

Cogratulations on the new Titus! It looks fantastic. I seems that Isogrid is plenty stiff but I'm wondering how much comfort Titus was able to engineer into the frame. The bow in the seatstays seems to be the opposite direction of the bow on my Giant TCR which is just slightly u-shaped. The Titus seems to be slightly m-shaped. It will be interesting to hear your comments about how it rides for longer timeframes. Have fun on the rocket!

As far as the frame goes....I'm pretty sure it's made in the USA. Titus is the only company so far to patent the Isogrid Technology for bicycle frames and they likely do things in house....and it's definately not a copy of another frame due to the use of the Isogrid Technology (basically an internal spine allowing thinner walled tubes).

Other than that...I love Titus frames. They are beautiful bikes, great quality and if I had the money would have a custom Vuelo made for me.

Thanks for all of the replys...I really am excited to get some longer rides on it. I still need to dial in the seat position; that's the worst part of setting up a new bike in my opinion...takes so long to get your old one dialed in and then you get a new one and it seems like forever to get it right.

Lazyrider, my panties are not in a wad, but please, before you go posting that every asian made bike is the same. Yes, there are a lot of similarities in asian made frames, and a lot of GOOD frames are made there (as well as a lot of junk). Not picking on you my friend!

I am planning to call Titus tomorrow and find out where it is actually made. I will very surprised if it is made in the States, but that would be cool.

As in cool...or lots of money? Anyway...thanks for the replies guys. Actually, I think I got a good deal...the whole kit and kaboodle delivered for $3636! Not bad huh for all Dura Ace, Reynolds carbon wheels and FSA K-Force Parts (cranks are the new SLK Light hollow carbon). Getting ready to go out for the maiden boyage and see what it actually rides like (my guess is stiff.) I'll let you know when I get back!

Beautiful bike. That was on my list of bikes recently (purchased a Felt F2)...

I wanted to buy it through my LBS. Unfortunately, Titus only did one run on the Oseo and stopped production. They sold the whole lot at a VERY discounted rated to CC so that would have been the only place I could buy it. My LBS is great and I ended up going with another bike (Felt F2).

Congrats on the new ride.

BTW, to some of the folks who think that is just a re-badged PF or other Taiwanese bike, not true. That frame is Titus's. They were recently purchased by a giant CF products manufacture. The Iso-grid technology was and is owned by that company that bought Titus. I believe it was the only carbon road frame available with the technology. I am not quite sure why they only did one run of these bikes. They are not available at any local shop but CC.

Thanks for the information. I really like the bike and hope that it holds up well. Construction quality looks good. I really like the way it rides. I just got back from a 20 mile ride on a wide variety of road surfaces (all asphalt) and it rides beautifully! It soaks up chip and seal buzz very well.

How did you get the inside info on the frames? I shot an email to Titus earlier today, but have not received a response yet.

Lazyrider, I emailed Titus to find out where it was actually made and will report back once I find out. I did find out that isogrid is really hemp cord that is fused with the carbon tubes and the hemp was produced by Pedal Force in Taiwan...so it's really a pedal force prouduct....JK